Deion Sanders Says People Who Criticized Shedeur, Shilo Were 'Afraid' He'd Go to NFL

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders believes ulterior motives were at play with some of the predraft narratives that developed around sons Shedeur and Shilo.

Sanders reaffirmed his commitment to the Buffs and played down any speculation regarding a move to the NFL.

"I know there was a lot of rumors about the next level and I can't see that," he said at the 52:55 mark on Say What Needs To Be Said, the podcast from four-time Pro Bowler Asante Samuel. "I can't see the next level and I think a couple people who may have taken shots at my kids, they were afraid that I would go to the next level. And that's where the shots came from. All you gotta do is sit back and listen."

Shilo Sanders going undrafted wasn't a total shock. At 25, he's older than the typical prospect and he wasn't a major standout in his two years at Colorado. Shilo failed to crack the top 300 on Bleacher Report's final big board.

For some pegged as Day 3 picks at best, being undrafted can actually be a good thing because the player is afforded more freedom to choose where he's starting his NFL career.

Nobody had Shedeur Sanders going in the fifth round. He was the No. 23 player on the B/R big board, and the second round seemed to be his floor.

But even his historic drop had a fairly straightforward explanation. Teams didn't view Shedeur in the same way a lot of draft evaluators did, and they didn't consider him to be a starter straight out of the gate as a rookie. With that in mind, his massive profile became a detriment since coaches typically don't like having the backup overshadow the starter.

There's little use in Shedeur and Shilo rehashing the draft because what's done is done. With both on NFL rosters, they can show their skeptics missed the mark in a big way.